How to Measure the Value of What You're Doing

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I've discovered that there are things a lot more valuable than social media, blogs, digital marketing or the Web. I've stopped worrying about the number of followers I have, my bounce rate, the number of views on my websites or even the amount of "retweets" and "likes" I get, and I've started to confront the way I work on the social media networks, making the most of being able to network in this digital enviroment. But mainly it's about knowing what feedback I want and how I'm going to achieve it.

Understanding the value

Receiving more e-mails than comments: The comments are great, they bring more value to the subject in question and sometimes can generate passionate conversations. However, on a monthly basis I receive more personal e-mails than comments. Intimate e-mails with personal history: this is what you should be looking for, be in touch with the people who read, follow and value your work and what you do for them. That is what changes everything - you start to bond with these people that allows you to cross the street to see them and share with them what you are doing, and getting recommended to their friends.

Changing people: When your articles, speeches, projects or even tweets allow somebody to start a project, confront their fears, deal with delays, realise their mistakes and enable them to learn from them, or finally understand that they've got the capability to excel in whatever they want, that's when the best results start going the right way. The most powerful KPI is to how much you can change people's work, business results, perception or lifestyle - for the better.

Being conscious about your work: There's a type of work that can't be measured and it's the one that enhances you as a professional. It might be making a podcast, it might be being reponsable for all the digital work for a NGO or even writing down your thoughts and feelings on a piece of paper and posting them on Instagram every day. Look for ways to impact the relationship between your communities.

Stop defending and start ignoring: It's like everything, there's always that skeptical person that says, "If you can't count it, it can't be measured." This might be true, but only when you have to back your results up in front of your boss, a teacher or a client. But never think that everything has to be measured; this way of being is only for those who need to count and measure everything they do. The people who don't appreciate your work now, will never do, and that's their problem, not yours.

Always meausuring, exposing your results, showing your superiority and improving your own records. That's all great and fascinating, but only when you can turn these numbers into:

More economical stability.

Creating more work for you and for others.

Changing more lives.

Starting more projects.

Having a group of colleagues that will help you in what you are doing.

Work less and produce more.

Speak about numbers that can be turned into positive effects for those who can help you achieve those numbers.